Published at Monday, March 12th, 2018 - 08:56:37 AM. Tennis. By Aki Mai.

Do sponsors support their charge’s behaving in such a manner? Do they appreciate having their products smashed just to advertise (and how is it more of an advert anyway?)? Do they condone such an example to the rest of the world that could potentially get further into the sport, and what of the tennis federations and associations that could stamp this behavior out, and do very little? Of course, it’s necessary to express oneself in the simmering experience of top-level tennis, but violent conduct needs to be curtailed before it gets out of hand. Tennis is evolving, rule changes are being brought in, the subject of equal pay has been addressed and there is a fierce new generation of talent. But now is the time to make sure tennis doesn’t become just another modern spectacle that surrenders its very essence in order to entertain. It can and always has entertained, but it doesn’t need to dumb down or reduce what makes it so unique, what makes it such a fascinating and compelling sport, both from a mental and physical viewpoint.

This new innovation, created in collaboration with French tech outfit PIQ, which is also working on bringing more sensor based analytics to other sports like golf and skiing, is part of two big trends. The obvious trend is the data driven way to understand your game. As Genie Bouchard said at Friday’s product launch at the Manhattan Plaza Racquet Club, “people can tell you when you’re hitting the ball, but there’s nothing more accurate than technology.” The metrics she is most interested in are where in her stroke she typically makes contact with the ball and the speed of her arm on groundstrokes.